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| Syria girls: Turkey complains over UK information | Syria girls: Turkey complains over UK information |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Turkey has criticised the UK for taking three days to inform it about the London schoolgirls travelling to Syria, possibly to join Islamic State. | |
| Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, travelled to Istanbul a week ago. | Shamima Begum and Amira Abase, both 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, travelled to Istanbul a week ago. |
| The girls boarded a Turkish Airlines flight at Gatwick, and would have required a visa to enter the country. | The girls boarded a Turkish Airlines flight at Gatwick, and would have required a visa to enter the country. |
| Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said officials would have taken "necessary measures" had they known earlier. | |
| 'Joint effort' | |
| Mr Arinc said: "It is a condemnable act for Britain to let three girls... come to Istanbul and then let us know three days later. | |
| "They haven't taken the necessary measures. The search is ongoing. | |
| "It would be great if we can find them. But if we can't, it is not us who will be responsible, but the British." | |
| The three girls had been studying for their GCSEs at Bethnal Green Academy in Tower Hamlets. | |
| A fourth girl from the school travelled to Syria in December. | |
| Mr Arinc's comments came after UK police officers travelled to Turkey, although their role in the country has not been confirmed. | |
| Prime Minister David Cameron has also urged airlines and internet companies to do more to prevent radicalised British teenagers travelling to the Middle East. | |
| Commons Home Affairs Committee chairman Keith Vaz said there needed to be "much closer co-operation" with Turkey in tackling the problem of people travelling through the country to Syria and Iraq. | |
| Mr Arinc said: "We have tracked down and banned tentatively 10,000 people who were previously reported to us from entering Turkey on suspicions of terrorist activities. We fulfil our duty. | Mr Arinc said: "We have tracked down and banned tentatively 10,000 people who were previously reported to us from entering Turkey on suspicions of terrorist activities. We fulfil our duty. |
| "We believe that there is a need for joint effort and co-ordination in fight against terrorism." | |
| Security services have already faced criticism after it emerged that, before leaving the UK, Shamima sent a Twitter message to Aqsa Mahmood, who left Glasgow for Syria in 2013 to marry an Islamic State fighter. | Security services have already faced criticism after it emerged that, before leaving the UK, Shamima sent a Twitter message to Aqsa Mahmood, who left Glasgow for Syria in 2013 to marry an Islamic State fighter. |
| According to a lawyer for Ms Mahmood's family, her Twitter account has been "monitored" by police since she left Britain. | According to a lawyer for Ms Mahmood's family, her Twitter account has been "monitored" by police since she left Britain. |
| He said authorities should have seen Shamima's message and taken action before she and her two friends followed. | He said authorities should have seen Shamima's message and taken action before she and her two friends followed. |
| Scotland Yard said: "Officers are working closely with the Turkish authorities who are providing a great deal of assistance and support to our investigation." | |
| The girls have been described as "straight-A students". Their principal Mark Keary said on Monday there was no evidence they had been radicalised at school. | |
| The girls' families have made appeals for them to come home. | The girls' families have made appeals for them to come home. |